Tabulating machine for billing



Feb. 17, 1959 J. J. LYNCH TABULATING MACHINE FOR BILLING 3 Sheets-Sheet1 Filed Aug. 24, 1954 HVVENTOR JOHN J. LYNCH BY aw/14.

ATTORNEY 4 @h v 5 MN. 05 u M v v l l va 3 mm o o a 5 hm w 5m mm 1,, 01.. TE 6 w I l mv 9 uvw O s Q X 3 FAG O Q N m Q mm 9 i s mm O S 8 n. i!ii I 1 Feb. 17, 1959 J. J. LYNCH 3 9 TABULATING MACHINE FOR BILLINGFiled Aug. 24, 1954 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 uu u INVENTOR.

JOHN J. LYNCH ATTORNEY Feb. 17, 1959 J. J. LYNCH 2,873,669

TABULATING MACHINE FOR BILLING Filed Aug. 24, 1954 3 Sheets-Sheet 3F|G.|O

I CONTINENTAL LIGHTING co. NoRwALmyNN, 7

I :05 JOHN JONES :GAS 3.1

67 MEDA ST lELECTR/C 2.35

n o R w A L K CONN- |TOTAL 5.49

l 9,8 I a F|G.l2

I CONTINENTAL LIGHTING CO. 1': NORWALK, CONN.

0,45 3 1 4 ELECTRIC/ 2 3 5 TOTAL 5 4 9- INVENTOR. JOHN J. LYNCH ATTORNEYUnited States Patent TABULATING MACHINE FOR BILLING John J. Lynch, EastNorwalk, Cnn., assignor, by mesne assignments, to Sperry RandCorporation, New York, N. Y., a corporation of Delaware ApplicationAugust 24, 1954, Serial No. 451,802

r 8 Claims. (Cl. 101-93) This invention relates to tabulating machinesand to the method and means employed therein for preparing bills,statements and the like.

It has become the practice of public utilities companies to sendcustomers a' bill or statement for gas, electric, water, or likeservice, by mailing a post card containing on one face thereof the nameandaddress of the customer, and on the reverse face thereof the amountof the bill and related consumption data. These post card bills areusually printed on two separate machines, the address on one face beingprinted by an addressing machine, and the bill data on the reverse facebeing printed by a tabulating or other accounting 'machine. The factthat the bills are printed upon by difierent machines makes thecoordinated assembly of the cards in the tabulator, and the plates orstencils in the addressing machine, imperative; otherwise the addressesandthe statement data will not match and the -bills-will be incorrectlyprepared. Further, frequent if changes of customers addresses requireconstant revision of the address stencils or'plates, and in handlingthey become accidentally misplaced and frequently result in incorrectbilling.

An important object of the invention, therefore, is to adapt a standardtypetabulating machine, that is con-' trolled by successively fed cardsperforated with data in code form, to'the production of public utilitybills with a minimum of change in structure andfor maximum speed inprinting said bills.

A further object of the invention is to provide, in a machine of thecharacter referred to, a change in the printing means whereby in eachnormal single .printing cycle of the machine two lines of printing can,be done so that the address face and bill face of the statement may becompleted in two printing cycles. 7

Another object is to produce a finished mailing piece in post card form,on the opposite faces of which the data of the bill and the nameandaddressof the customer,

respectively, have been printed simultaneously in one machine, and .toprovide a post card form, on one face of which the bill data and thename andaddress are printed in one operation before the form iscompletely processed to produce the finished post card.

Still further objects and principal features of the invention reside inthe use of paper of ordinary texture and limpness in sheet or web form,and unsuited for post card use in such form, that can be line spacedpast the printing point in association with the regular platen ofprinting machines; that can have applied'to one side thereof a suitableadhesive, such as glue or a thermo setting plastic, before or afterprinting; that can be folded to bring the adhesive surfaces together tounite the paper so that, when said folded paper form is passed throughpressure or heating means; or both or actinically treated to renderthe'adhesive efi'ective asa bonding agent, the paper attains sufficientweight and rigidity to meet the postal requirements for a post card, andbecomes impervious to moisture and atmospheric conditions; and that theprinting appearing on the opposite faces of the finished card has beendone simul-' taneously.

specification, and in which like numerals are employed to designate likeparts throughout the same,

' Fig. 1 is a view in side elevation of the upper part of a tabulatingmachine to which the invention is applied, some of the parts being shownin section;

Fig. 2 is a view in perspective of a fragment of the firing pinmechanism forming part of the invention;

Fig. 3 is a view in sectional elevation of the firing pin and typecarrier mechanisms shown in relation to the platen;

. Fig. 4 is a view in perspective showing the structure of a typecarrier, and how it is applied to a printing rack;

Fig. 5 is a view in perspective showing how the type carriers aremounted on the upper ends of the printing racks;

Fig. 6 is a schematic view of a fragmentary portion of a group of typeshowing, in dotted lines, the relative positions of characters to beprinted in a single impression;

Fig. 7 is a schematic view showing a fragmentary portion 'of the upperends of a number of columns type illustrating alternate columns innormal raised position;

Fig. 8 is a view similar to Fig. 3 showing a modified form of structure;

Fig.9 is a face view of a strip of paper web scored to delineate postcard bill forms;

Fig. 10 is an enlarged face view of a fragment of the web. shown in Fig.9 illustrating the method in which the printing is done thereon;

Y 3 'J 'Fig..j11- is;a view showing the front of a finished post cardbill prepared in accordance with the invention; and Fig-12 is a viewshowing the back of the post card illustrated in Fig. 11.

It is not deemed necessary to illustrate or fully describe a' tabulatingmachine towhich the present invention is applied. A tabulating machineof the Remington R'and' which are mounted type carriers. The type areprojected by hammers against paper supported on a platen at the printingpoint so that, from the standard card of ninety columns, in present use,ninety characters can be printed at once horizontally on the paper.

For the purpose of employing a standard tabulating machine, as abovereferred to, in the production of public utility 'bills in accordancewith the present invention, the Bowden wire transfer mechanism is wiredso that data punched in normal sequence in any of the spaced columns ofa card can be transposed to be printed from adjoining type carriers,alternate ones of which are positioned one character higher on the racksso that printing of two lines is accomplished simultaneously, as will belater explained.

In the printing of public utility hills, which come in a strip or weband are delineated in usual statement form, the feed of the bill formmay be automatically controlled by a mechanism of the tabulator as shownin Patent 2,311,456 granted to John Mueller February 16, 1943, or inPatent 2,468,341 granted April 26, 1949, to John Mueller et al. In thepresent invention the paper, initially positioned at the printing pointfor a two line printed impression, is line spaced one movement foranother two line printing after which it is fed to the printing point ofthe next bill form. This is done by the mechanism shown Patented Feb.17, 1959 in Patent 2,468,341 which is illustrated as being. applied tothe tabulating machine disclosed in Patent 2,381,361.

When the printing racks have brought the type to printing position thetype is thrust against the paper by the operation of hammers and to thisend reference is made to Fig. 12 of Patent 2,381,361 wherein theprinting mechanism finds its counterpart in Fig. 1 of the presentdisclosure in which each type hammer is pivoted at 11 to a frame bar 12and is impelled by a spring 13 and restored by a bail 14 having a timeoscillation. Each hammer 10 is restrained by-a latch lever 16 having afixed pivot 17 and also influenced by the spring 13. A trip link 18pivoted to the latch lever 16 as at 19 is held in inactive position by alink 21 against the tension of a spring 22. The link 21 is pivoted. to acontrol lever 23 whose free end is normally urged against a pin 24 oneach associated type carrier rack 26. When the latter rises the spring22 swings the trip link 18 until a shoulder 27 thereon comes into thepath of a flange 28 on a print bar 29 which at the proper moment ismoved rearward, slightly. Only those latch levers 16 whose associatedtype carrier racks 26. have been set to a printing position are trippedto release the hammers by the action of the trip links 18. The print bar29 shown in Fig. 1 coincides with the print bar 633 in Fig. 12 of Patent2,381,361 in Fig. 6 of the latter of which, the operation of the printbar from a suitable rock shaft 640 is illustrated. The sensing mechanismof Patent 2,381,361 will be modified as illustrated in Patent 2,421,078granted to John Mueller May 27, 1947 so that multi-stage sensing of therecord card can be accomplished.

Each piece of type 31 (Figs. 4 and 5) is mounted for projectile movementin a type carrier 32 whose flanged edges 33 are bored to providehorizontally aligned openings 34 in which the type 31 are slidablymounted. The edges 33 constitute front and rear faces of the carrier andare notched as at 35 to receive the laterally projecting tabs 36 formedin the upper portions 37 of the type racks 26. Each portion 37 forms aclosure wall for the associated carrier 32. The tabs 36 are inhorizontal alignment when the printing racks are in lowest or homeposition, this being the well known structure of the tabulating machineexemplified in Patent 2,381,361. In the alternate type carriers 32Ahowever, as shown in Fig. 4 herein, the notches 35 are cut one linespace lower than the standard notch indicated as at 36 in outline. Inthis manner alternate type carriers 32A are one line space higher thanthe normal position of the intermediate type carriers 32N without anychange being made in the normal position of all the racks 26. Eachcarrier at its lower end has a depending mounting or guide tab 38slotted as at 39 to form leg portions 41 fitting closely about a lockpin 42 so that one of the legs rests on the rack pin 24. The differencein the dimensions of the tabs is shown in Fig. 4 wherein the slot of thestandard tab of alternate carriers is shown in outline as at 43 and thelengthened leg of each raised alternate carrier is illustrated as at 44.By mounting each alternate type carrier one line space higher it ispossible, with a corresponding change in the firing pin assembly, toprint two lines of information at the same time, the upper line beingprinted by the type of the relatively raised alternate carriers 32A andthe lower line being printed by the type in the intermediate normallymounted carriers 32N.

The. type are impelled by a bank of firing pins 46 of rectangular formslidably mounted in slotted side plates 47 fixed to a cross bar 48supported between the side frames of the machine. The pins 46 (Fig. 3)are yieldably held in retracted position by springs 49 and are limited'in movement by the abutting action of an extended portion 51'thereofwith a side plate 47 and a ledge 52 on the cross bar 48. The hammerstruck ends 53 of the pins are aligned horizontally with each other, butthe alternate pins 46 at their opposite or type engaging ends are offsetas at 54 to align with the type 31 of the alternate type carriers 32A,which it will be remembered, are one line space above the intermediatecarriers 32N. The type 31 of the latter are struck by firing pins whosetype striking ends 56 are axially aligned with the type of the racks32N. Hence, in the well known firing pin assembly it is necessary toreplace every other straight pin with one having an offset end 54 sothat alternate types will print on two different lines on the paper,when the hammers are fired, as shown in Figs. 3, 7, and 8.

Patent 2,421,078 shows means for cross totalizing and printing insuccessive sensin-gs from two or more fields of a card. The firstsensing of the card used herein, will cause a two line single printingimpression to be made including, as shown in Fig. 10, the name, streetaddress, gas charge and electric charge. The second sensing of anotherfield of the same card will cause a second two line single printingimpression to be made including the city, state, and total, it beingalso possible, if desired, to print another item such as a tax orappliance charge in the space between the electric charge and the total.Four lines of matter can thus be printed in two printing impressionsinvolving two sensing cycles of the machine. The paper feed mechanism,shown in Fig. 1, is fully disclosed in Patent 2,468,341 and shows apaper carriage 57 including a main carriage bar 58 providing groovedchannels 59 embracing the fixed rail 61 along which the carriage canslide, although for the purpose of the present invention the carriage isprevented from having any movement. The carriage 57 supports a platenshaft 62 for revolvably mounting a platen 63 facing the type 31 whichplaten is used herein as a feeding means for the web of paper P, a reelof which is conveniently mounted on the carriage.

The line space mechanism shown in Fig. 1 includes a line space ratchet64 operated by a pawl 66 pivoted at 67 to a plate 68 pivoted on theplaten shaft 62 and limited in its oscillation by a stud 69 in a slot72. The pawl 66 is actuated through links 73 and 74, connected by atrifurcate lever 76, from a shaft 77 by an arm 78. The rock shaft 77along with another rock shaft 79, is suitably supported in the frameparts and the rock shaft 79 has an arm 81 which presses on the uppersurface of a flange 82, projecting from the shaft 77, and normally holdsthe parts in the positions shown in Fig. 1 against the tension of aspring 83. In line spacing, the shaft 79 is permitted to be rockedclockwise by the spring 83 until a pin 84 on an arm 86, fast on saidshaft 79, is arrested by one of the steps 87 of a settable stop plate88. This causes the plate 68 and pawl 66 to advance a distance of saytwo tooth spaces of the ratchet depending upon the setting of the stopplate 88. Upon movement of the shaft 79 counterclockwise, the pawlengages the ratchet and revolves the latter to rotate the platen twoline spaces. In this machine after the first and second line printingimpression the paper is spaced a two line increment for the third andfourth line bill impression and then long fed to bring the next form toprinting position. The mechanism for providing the long feed movement ofthe platen is fully set forth in Patent 2,468,341 and furtherillustration thereof herein is not deemed essential. The cards being fedthrough the machine will each contain a control hole and the totalamount punched therein as well as the rest of the data shown on the billform. When a web of paper is placed in the machine and brought by theoperator to printing position, the data on the first card sensed will beprinted and, as in the present instance, if there is only one card foreach bill form, the control hole in each will control the feed mechanismto advance the paper to the next form to be printed. The plate 88 isswung about its pivot 89 by a vertical link 91, the plate beingadjustable for variable line spacing. The main paper feed drive shaft 92lies behind the carriage and has a worm Wheel 93 driven by a worm 94 anda vertical shaft .96, Which is in efiect an extension of the verticalshaft 65 of Patent 2,468,341. r. f r a In Fig. 8 the firing pin'bank hasbeen omitted and alternate hammers 100 are provided with striking faces101 vertically spaced from the striking faces 102 of the intermediatehammers 103 so that the upper and lower alternate type 104 and 105respectively print on two horizontal levels simultaneously. a

In Fig. 9 a web P of paper is shown, scored vertically to provide acentral fold 97 and scored horizontally as at 98 todelineate a post cardform 99.presenting a front or address face 106 and a back or bill face107, both of which are previously printed as at 108. The back of the webP is treated to provide an adhesive surface 109 on which any suitableadhesive such as glue or a thermosetting plastic is sprayed or otherwiseapplied. The latter is preferable as the form can be readily handled inthe tubulator from which, after printing, it is fed out and folded onscore 97, passed between suitable pressure or heated rollers for closecohesion or bonding of the faces to provide a mailing piece ofsufficient rigidity and moisture resistance to meet postal requirements,and then severed on lines 98 to form the individual mailing pieces.While a postal card is referred to, the bill forms need not be of thisnature, but may be folded without the glue backing for separation andmailing in a window envelope in which the address will be displayed. Ineither use the advantage of the method, as carried out by the tabulatorprinting means, is the printing of each bill in two printingimpressions, each impression printing two lines across the form. In theusual use of the tabulating machine it would require four printingcycles to accomplish what the present invention does in two, thuseffecting a saving of time in the production of the bills, andpreventing separation of the name and address of the user from hisutility billing which is all punched in a single card. By the use ofalternate printing type carriers two lines at each printing cycle can beprinted, each line of which is horizontally disposed across the face ofthe web so that the name and address appear on one face of the form andthe bill data appears on the other face thereof.

While the alternate type carriers 32A. are described as being positionedone line space above the normally positioned type carriers 32N, it isevident that they could be interchanged by dropping the carriers 32A oneline space below the level of the carriers 32N. This positioning of thecarriers does not alter the position of the type racks 26 which operatein the same manner as in the standard tabulating machine in printingoperations. The type faces shown in Fig. 7 can be varied, as desired,for instance to arrange the sequence of the characters so that a minimumamount of movement is used in bringing the carriers to printing positionfor the most frequently used characters, which is common practice.

Any suitable adhesive may be used to cement the two portions 101 and 102of the card together, but thermosetting plastic cements have been foundpreferable, as they are impervious to moisture and they increase indensity once polymerized, with the result that the finished card isstifiened and rain proofed. These plastics are advantageous in that theycan be applied to the form before printing, as they may be used in thedry state after all of the solvent has been evaporated. A preferredbonding substance is a cement which polymerizes at a relatively lowtemperature, which temperature can be maintained in suitable pressurerolls without damage to rolls vor paper. Use may also be made of anadhesive that can be actinically treated, such as by the use ofinfra-red rays. The adhesive gives body and Weight to the combinedfolded parts of the form and suflicient rigidity to the finished productto permit its use as a post card under postal regulations.

It is, therefore, obvious that the invention results in great saving oftime, insures accuracy in billing, makes use of paper that has beenpreviously printed with a bill form and whose reverse side is coatedwith a bonding agent that is dry and does not interfere with thehandlingof the bill paper either in web or single sheet form, and

upon which the complete address of, and bill for, the

steps of printing, applying the adhesive substance, drying the same,folding the form, subjecting the folded form to heat andpressure orother adhesive bonding means, and then, if necessary, trimming the formso that the plies of the paper are coextensive.

While I have described what I consider to be a convenient means ofcarrying out my invention, it is obvious that changes may be madetherein without departing from the scope of the invention as set forthin the claims.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is: r

1. In a tabulating machine, for printing on a web of paper divided intoforms, having means for feeding the web line by line and form by form,racks selectively movable in tabulating and total computing operationsfor positioning the type of carriers mounted on said racks athorizontally aligned locations to print one line of bill data at a timeon said forms including a total of the bill amounts, a firing pin forprojecting each type and a hammer for operating each firing pin; thecombination with alternate racks of means for mounting the associatedtype carriers to space the type thereof a one line increment verticallywith respect to the type in alternate carriers, and alternate pins beingshaped to project the spaced type where the pins are struck by saidhammers, whereby printing on two horizontal levels is donesimultaneously without affecting the total taking operations of saidracks.

2. In a printing device having computing means including a series oftype carriers mounted on racks for controlling the operation of thecomputing means and a series of associated firing means for said typecarriers normally disposed in a horizontal line; means for verticallyolfsetting alternate type carriers on said racks without affecting theoperation of said computing means, and

means for ofisetting the carrier associated firing means wherebyprinting on two horizontal levels is done simultaneously.

3. In a punched card controlled tabulating machine having a computingmechanism and a printing mechanism including type, carriers for mountingsaid type vertically, racks supporting said carriers and means forselectively adjusting said racks vertically to control the computingmechanism and to bring the type of the carriers into single linehorizontal alignment; that improvement which includes means for mountingalternate carriers on the racks to position the type thereof in ahorizontal line vertically spaced from the horizontal alignment of thetype of the intermediate carriers without affecting the control of thecomputingmechanism by said racks, and means for projecting the type ofboth lines simultaneously to print two lines of matter across a recordsheet in a single printing impression.

4. In a punched card controlled tabulating machine having a printingmechanism including type carriers, differentially movable rackssupporting said carriers to bring selected type thereof into horizontalalignment; the combination with the alternate racks, of means forsupporting the type carriers and the type thereof at a differenthorizontally aligned position than the type of the intermediatecarriers, and means for projecting the type 7 to print two horizontallines of matter simultaneously.

5. In a machine of the character described in claim 4 including pinmeans on the racks, feet on the. carriers for engaging said pins tosupport type in one horizontal row, and the feet of alternate carriersbeing extended to position the type'of said alternate carriers in theother horizontal row.

6. In a machine of the character described in claim 4 including tabmeans on said racks, said carriers being notched for engagement by saidtabs, and the notches of alternate carriers being at a different levelthan the notches of the intermediate carrier whereby alternate typebrought to the printing point presents two separate lines of matter tobe printed across the form.

7,. In a machine of the character set forth in claim 4 includinghorizontally aligned pin means on said racks, said carriers having footportions for engagement with said pin means, and the foot portions ofalternate'carriers terminating at a different level than the footportions of the intermediate carriers whereby alternate type brought tothe printingpoint presents upper and lower lines of matter to 'be'printed.

8. In a tabulating machine for printing on a web of paper divided intobill forms, having means for feeding theweb line byline and form by formpast a printing position, racks differentially movable for operatingcomputing mechanism and for positioning the type of carriers mounted onsaid racks at horizontally aligned locations, and firing means forprojecting the type simultaneously to print one line at a time on saidforms; the combination with said racks of tab means, locking pin meansand support'pin means, each. of said firing, tab, lock and support meansbeing in horizontal alignment'when the racks are in home position, saidcarriers being notched. for engagement bythe tabs, a foot portion oneach carrier resting on said support pin means, and the notches and footportions of the alternate carriers beingiat a difierent level than thenotches and foot portions of the intermediate carriers to elevate thetype of said alternate carriers and offset portions on alternate firingmeans for projecting the elevated type whereby two separate lines ofmatter can be printed across the form, simultaneously without affectingthe operation of the computing mechanism by said racks.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS823,219 Hensley June 12, 1906 1,455,555 Sundstrand May 15, 19231,700,050 Henderson Jan. 22, 1929 1,701,307 Racz Feb. 5, 1929 1,872,130Elliott Aug. 16, 1932 1,957,193 Armbruster May 1, 1934 2,153,144Grilfillan Apr. 4, 1939 2,421,060 Haskins May 27, 1947 2,468,341 MuellerApr. 26, 1949 2,501,447 Lambert Mar. 21, 1950 2,507,117 Mueller May 9,1950

